Competencies of Graduates – An Industry Expectation

Abstract

Changes in the environment of industry may affect the expectations related to the competencies of the employees. Changes to the education system and curricula may be required. The main purpose of this research paper was to analyze the expectations of the industries related to competencies of graduates of engineering programs. The paper presents preliminary research. The survey was conducted at twenty-eight companies within the area of technical university in Poland. Based on the survey, data was collected related to the level of preparation of engineering graduates as well as the industry expectations related to the preparation of engineering graduates. This was done for the purpose of determining the gap between industry expectations and the level of preparation of the engineering graduates. Enterprises expect a wide range of competences from engineering graduates. The most important areas of competence included soft competences and practical knowledge and skills. The biggest gap between industry expectation and graduate’s preparation are the soft skills. Recommendations were suggested which would be incorporated in the engineering curriculum for the purpose of continuous quality improvement.